Planet Pulverizer: A Mortal's Ascent

Chapter 230: Confidence

The Dragon Gate Hall placed a strong emphasis on efficiency in teaching. This was clearly demonstrated by their aggressive promotion of online education. Their teaching methods were highly efficient, and their communication was equally swift.

In just half a day, word of the exchange between Li Pin and the Coiled Dragon Association had spread through the entire Dragon Gate Hall like a whirlwind.

"Have you heard? Li Pin has declared that he's accepting all challengers, and the duel is set for three days from now!"

"Yeah, but apparently, it costs a hundred thousand points to challenge him! And if anyone can defeat him in three days, they'll earn the unrestricted right to challenge him in next year's Dragon Prince competitive challenge!"

"I heard it takes 150 thousand points to secure a duel with him and earn the qualification for the unrestricted challenge next year!"

"You've got it wrong. It's only a hundred thousand points to challenge him, but if you want the unrestricted challenge next year, you'll need to pay 150 thousand points!"

"No, no, no! From what I've heard, it's a bidding war. Whoever offers the highest number of points gets to challenge him first. If that person wins, they'll also be the first to challenge him in the Dragon Prince competition.

"If he loses, the challenger will take his Dragon Prince title, and once they become the new Dragon Prince, they'll be able to set new rules... What a huge advantage!"

"Tsk, A bidding war? Does he think he won't be able to hold onto the Dragon Prince title and is trying to rack up points while he can? But with his age, it's hard to imagine anyone could shake his position! Could it be that Li Pin isn't as strong as we thought?"

"I think Li Pin is being quite clever. Think about it. He's using the Dragon Prince title as bait to gather hundreds of thousands, even millions, of points.

"If he can convert those points into strength as soon as possible, by the time next year's competition comes around, he may have broken through to a higher realm. Even if he loses the Dragon Prince title, power is the foundation of everything. Once he's stronger, he'll find a way to reclaim the title."

"Now that you mention it... Li Pin really does have guts..."

Discussions like these filled every corner of the Dragon Gate Hall. The entire Hall was abuzz with news of Li Pin's announcement.

Of course, the commotion stayed only within the circles of official and core members.

The top-tier experts, who already held the Dragon Prince title, weren't particularly stirred about getting the qualification for an unrestricted challenge to Li Pin's position.

The ones truly eager, however, were the older Martial Saints. Those were too old to compete in the Hidden Dragon List and couldn’t ascend the Transformative Dragon List.

While their potential and combat prowess had diminished, many had been in Dragon Gate Hall for years, patiently accumulating millions of points. They were hoping to use these points during their Extreme Transcended State to experience the power of the legendary astral equipment.

Now, with Li Pin's offer on the table...

It seemed practically tailored for them.

With the millions of points they had accumulated, if they could obtain the Dragon Prince title for even a single term, they could immediately earn the right to use the legendary astral equipment three to five times. Not only would their strength skyrocket, but they might even glimpse the opportunity to refine their qi into Spirit and become Astral Cultivators.

Such a precious opportunity, for only 100,000, 150,000, or 200,000 points?

It was certainly a more comfortable option than risking their lives on tasks to gather 3 million points, just to apply for the right to use the legendary astral equipment during their Extreme Transcended State.

***

Meanwhile, in the living room of an attic, a man in his early forties was frowning. "How strong is Li Pin, exactly? Even after watching his matches with Cheng Yufeng, the Great Sun Chosen One, Song Wuya, and Zhao Yushi multiple times... I still can't figure him out." n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

After a moment of muttering to himself, he turned his attention to a young man sitting nearby. "You're also from Jiang Province, so you should know him well. What's your take?"

This young man was none other than Gu Haoran, the skilled Aura Cultivation expert who had emerged victorious in the Taibai national competition. Thanks to his family connections and his credentials as a champion of the national competition, Gu Haoran had smoothly entered the Dragon Gate Hall.

Though only a regular member, his status far exceeded that of the so-called aristocratic family heirs.

The man questioning him was Zhou Heng, a powerful Martial Saint with close ties to the Gu family. He was the only person on the Transformative Dragon List who wasn't a Dragon Prince.

The reason? His age.

At forty-eight, Zhou Heng was well past his prime. Without proper nourishment, his body would have started deteriorating already.

Even so, his qi and blood wouldn't hold out for much longer. He was eager to have a go with the legendary astral equipment so he could restore the condition of his qi and blood, preparing for his ultimate transcendence.

"Li Pin..." Gu Haoran's expression turned complicated when Zhou Heng asked the question. "In my opinion, he's a true prodigy."

He glanced at Zhou Heng. "Although it might sound like I'm underselling myself, Uncle Zhou, if not necessary, I advise against challenging him."

"Oh? Are you worried I'll lose? Don't concern yourself with that. Based on Li Pin's best performance so far, he hasn’t surpassed the human body limits yet, merely approaching them.

"In other words, his qi and blood is around forty-four at most. His sword intent can't even compare to Song Wuya's Saber Intent. He had lost in that regard, illustrating that his mental spirit isn't particularly high either."

Zhou Heng's brows lifted in a display of pride as he continued, "As for me, though I'm at the bottom of the Transformative Dragon List, I'm a Martial Saint with my qi and blood at the absolute limit. My mental spirit is not far from the first limit either. Plus, with the years I've spent perfecting my fist techniques, swordsmanship, and secret arts, there's no reason I would lose to him."

Gu Haoran's tone grew more serious. "But Uncle Zhou, the data you obtained is already nearly four months old."

"It's just four months. Strictly speaking, only three and a half. Even if he's made further breakthroughs in his qi and blood and reached the physical limit, so what?"

Zhou Heng extended his hand and clenched his fist, causing the air around him to seemingly compress and burst under his strength. "The Dragon Gate Hall isn't the World's Top Martial Competition. The core members here, and those above, have only one goal—refining qi into Spirit and stepping onto the path of Astral Cultivators

"Nothing else, not even fame or glory, can tempt them! Do you really think that just because he won the intermediate category in the competition, he's now the best in the world? Even Wan Lichang, who took first in the adult category and is hailed as the top in Tianyuan, would likely struggle to break into the top three of the Transformative Dragon List here."

"This..."

Gu Haoran opened his mouth but hesitated for a while before saying, "But Li Pin can't be judged by common sense. Before the Jiang Province Martial Competition, he was only at the Core Formation, perhaps the Aura Force realm at most.

"Yet in just half a month during the competition, he broke through repeatedly and entered the Aura Cultivation realm! If he grew that quickly in two weeks, then after three or four months..."

"I will give him my full attention," Zhou Heng replied. "The key is whether he'll be willing to face my challenge first. To become the first to defeat him and secure the right to challenge him first in next year's competition, how much do you think I should offer? 400 thousand points? 500 thousand? Or 600 thousand?"

"Perhaps..." Gu Haoran hesitated again. "Will Li Pin accept challenges in the order they're issued?"

"Impossible," Zhou Heng stated calmly. "Maybe he initially had that idea, but once I throw hundreds of thousands of points into the pot, he won't be able to resist. Greed is in human nature."

With that thought, he didn't waste any more time. "I've saved a total of 1.5 million points over the years. I need to keep 900 thousand to use the legendary astral equipment three times.

"Once to refine my martial arts, another to prepare for the extreme transcendence, and the final one for taking that last step... So, I can't touch those 900 thousand. But the remaining 600 thousand... I'll put it all on the line!"

***

Zhou Heng wasn't the only one going all-in. Within just one day, the number of challenges Li Pin received surged from eight to nineteen.

Whether due to rumors or misunderstanding, each of the eleven new challengers offered at least one hundred thousand points as their stake.

Adding in the original five challengers, the total number of points from all sixteen challengers reached a staggering 3.25 million.

With that sum, not only could one secure the use of the legendary astral equipment, but they could even hire a Master Astral Cultivator three times.

***

Li Pin looked at the mountain of challenge letters on the table, his expression filled with surprise. "So, are all the members of Dragon Gate Hall this enthusiastic?"

3.25 million points. Since when did points become something people could throw around so casually?

Standing beside him, Su Feiyu and Zhang Yuesheng both glanced at the challenge letters, feeling a headache coming on. "Enthusiastic...."

"Now's not the time to worry about their enthusiasm." Su Feiyu looked up. "Li Pin, are you really planning to accept all these challenges?"

"Of course."

"Are you confident?"

"How could I be?" Li Pin shook his head. "No one can guarantee victory without seeing what their opponent is capable of. The world is full of brilliant martial talents and unexpected dark horses."

Su Feiyu paused, surprised. "Then why are you still—"

"No need to worry about me." Li Pin smiled. "With this many points, even if I only win half of the battles, I'll still earn 1.6 million points. Aside from a few Dragon Princes, who can accumulate that many points in a year?

"And even if I do lose my Dragon Prince title, that won't happen until next year's challenge. In the meantime, I still have the privilege of using the legendary astral equipment five times!"

He said solemnly, "Trust me, I won't underestimate any opponent. I know every member of Dragon Gate Hall is incredibly powerful. But even if I lose this time, after five or six training sessions with the legendary astral equipment this year, I won't fail when the next challenge comes. I'm certain I'll keep my Dragon Prince title."

Hearing this, Su Feiyu and Zhang Yuesheng finally understood.

So what if he loses this time? He can just win it back next year! A year is a long time!

Dragon Prince Li... He's fighting for the present! Such boldness and confidence... Impressive! Absolutely impressive!